Trunk fixture



' Aug. 31

T. M. HOUSE TRUNK FIXTURE a] 2 Sheets-Shea. 1 k

Filed April 13. 1926 3140211? TM/Yous Aug. 31, 1926. 1,597,888

- T. M. HOUSE TRUNK FIXTURE Filed April 5. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 31, 1926.

THOMAS M. HOU SE, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO SEWARD TRUNK AND BAG COMPANY, OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA, A GORPOR-A'IION OF VIRGINIA.

TRUNK FIXTURE.

Application filed April 3, 1926.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in wardrobe trunks and more particularly in what is known as trolley fixtures, and the invention has for its primary object an. improved. construction of fixture of this type which is simple and durable in construction and efficient in operation, possessing facilities for carrying of all the garments perfectly without creases or wrinkles.

A further object of the invention is a device of this character in which the trolley arms and clothes compressor are all in one, avoiding the necessity of bending or stopping, and having no separate contrivance to hold the clothes securely in place, the garment hangers with the garments on them being merely slid back into the body of the trunk and the arms let down to hold the clothes securelyin place against the follower frame.

A still further object of the invention is an improved trolley fixture for wardrobe trunks embodying an easily operable latch mechanism for holding the verticallyswinging trolley arms and clothes compressor in their lowered compressing position, provided with means whereby all liability of accidentally unlatching, due to twisting strains imposed upon the trunk in hard usage, will be obviated.

The invention has for a further object an improved construction of device of this char acter in which very simple and effective means are employed, for quickly locking the vertically swinging trolley arms in hori- Z'ontal alinement with their supporting arms or members, such means positively preventing any accidental breaking down of the horizontally disposed trolley arms while they are in their elevated position while at the same time such means do not prevent the opera-tor from quickly and easily lowering the arms, whenever desired.

And the invention further aims to generally improve devices of this character and to render them more efficient and commercially desirable.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in. certain constructions and arrangements, and combi nations of the parts that I shall hereinafter tally describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the iiivention Serial No. 99,577.

reference is to be had to the following clescription and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a wardrobe trunk showing my invention embodied therein, and with the trolley arms in their elevated position;

Fig. 2 is a detail plan view showing one corner of the supporting frame;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the supporting arms of the fixture;

Fig. 4: is a fragmentary sectional view of the latch mechanism;

Fig. 5' is a perspective view similar to Fig. l, but with the trolley arms, in lowered position;

Fig. 6 is a, fragmentary sectional view of the jointed connection between the trolley arms and their supporting arms;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 6, and

8 is a fragmentary sectional. view through one ofthe keeper plates.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and desig nated in the accompanying drawing by like reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates one section of a wardrobe trunk equipped with my improved trolley fixture cairn stares earn or garment carrier, and 2 designates a trilateral metallic frame riveted or otherwise securely fastened to the trunk section 1 near the top of the latter. This supporting frame 2 is preferably provided at each corner with horizontally disposed and obliquely extending metallic braces 3 to strengthen the frame and incidentally the trunk structure, although it is to be understood that these braces may be omitted if desired, the endsfolded upon themselves along a median line to produce channeled members positioned with the channels facing downward, as shown, and the e, being in and through'the slots 5 of the straps 4, are offset or bent downwardly in Opposite directions in order to securely attach the rearmost ends of the channeled supporting 7 arms or members to the straps 4. The channeled supporting arms 7 extend forward and backward parallel to and spaced'inwardl'y from the end portions of the supporting frame 2, and are secured to the end portions of, the supporting frame near the forward ends of the latter by means of substantially S-shaped braces 8 the downwardly pro ecting ends of which are riveted to the end portions of the supporting frame, while the upwardly projecting ends of said braces are inserted in the channels of the supborting arms 7 and are-riveted to the latter, as

shown. 9 designates the vertically swingingtrolley arms" of the fixture' These are preferably formed in one with a laterally extending compressor bar 10 which will be referred to more specifically hereinafter, and the inner or rearmost ends of the trolley arms 9 S-shaped braces 8, the pins extending across the channels of the supporting arm 7 as shown, the slots 12 of the. trolley arms 9 receiving the pivot pins 15 which are also preferably in the form of rivets carried by the supporting arm 7 near the forward ends of the latter, and extending across the channels thereof. In this connection,- it will doubtless now be obvious that so long as the trolley arms 9 are in their normal elevated position supported and held from down wardly swinging movement the pins 14 and 15, all liability of' accidental dropping of the arms 9 will be precluded,las the more weight that is imposed upon the trolley arms by the hangers on the fixture after the latter, have been slid. inward or rearward, and'the' 9 by the garment hangers and garments carried thereby, the firmer the jointedheonnection between the arms 9 and their supporting arms 7 will become, but by avery easy movement or manipulation of the trolley arms 9,

that is; by the operator slightly raising the forward ends of the frames and pulling them outwardly to disengage their hooks 13 from the pins 14, thereupon the arms 9 and the compressor bar 10 which joins them together may be easily swung down and into the trunk section against the garments carried vided rit .through apertures 22 formed clothes will be held securely in place against the follower frame 16.

In order to hold the compressor bar 10 and trolley arms 9 in their compressing POSltion against the follower board, the following means have been provided:

"Laterally movable latch rods 17 are positioned upon the outer face of the compressor bar 10, the inner'ends of said latch rods being received and movable ina preferably 1 sheet-metal casing 18 riveted or otherwise secured tosaid bar, said rods being provided at their adjoining ends with inwardly extendin finger pieces 19 preferably proknobs as shown, and movable in 1 longitudinal slots 20 formed in'the bar, an expansion spring 21 being mounted within the casing 18 and interposed between the adjoining ends of the latch rods to urge them outward or away from each other into lockingposition.- The ends of the latch rods 17 move in metallic straps 23 which are riveted or otherwise firmly secured to the trolley arms 9 at the juncture of the latter with the compressor bar 10, these straps projecting slightly beyond the compressor bar, as shown, and being provided with stop pins 24 for a pur pose presently to be described.

Mounted within the trunk section 1 upon the'inner walls of the sides thereof, are keeper plates 25. These are preferably stamped out of sheet-metal and are curved as shown and each is formed with a curved series of apertures 26 designed to receive the outer ends of the latch rods 17 to hold the trolley arms and compressor bar in predetermined lowered position within the trunk section 1 to press the follower frame against the garments. In the present construction the keeper plates 25 are mounted upon preferably wooden and preferably cloth-covered base members 27, each of which is formed with 'a longitudinally extending curved channel '28 registering with the series of apertures 26.

Referring now more specifically to the stop pins 24., it is tobe noted that these are intended to slide along the solidportions of the keeper plates 25 in snug contact with the surfaces of said plates, whereby any torslonal distortion of the trunk in closed condition, incidental to hard usage, 'will preclude the possibility of either of the latch rods 9 from beeomlng disengaged from this keeper plate. Y t

Inasmuch as the purpose orfunction and operation of the different parts have been described along with the construction and arrangement of the parts, no further de scription is deemed necessary, but it is to be understood that while the accompanying drawings and foregoing description illustrate what I believe to be the preferred mm bodiment of my invention, the invention is not necessarily limited thereto as various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim l. A trolley fixture of the character described comprising a trilateral supporting frame adapted to be secured to the inner side of a wardrobe trunk, straps secured to the intermediate bar of said frame near the ends thereof and projecting above the upper edge of the frame, said straps being formed with slots, channeled supporting arms provided at one end with tangs adapt-- ed to be inserted through said slots and clenched against the rear sides of said straps, said arms being positioned with their chan nels facing downward, substantially shaped braces having one end received in the channels of said arms and riveted to the latter, and their other ends riveted to the end portions of said supporting frame, trolley arms pivotally mounted at one end within the channels of the supporting arms, means being provided at the jointed connection between the trolley arms and the supporting arms for holding the arms in alinement with each other, a compressor bar can ried by said trolley arms, and means for holding the trolley arms and compressor bar securely in lowered position within the trunk.

2. In a trolley fixture of the character described, vertically swinging trolley arms, means for supporting said arms, a laterally extending compressor bar oined to the arms at one end of the latter, straps secured to and carried by the said ends of the trolley arms and projecting beyond the compressor bar, said straps being formed with apertures, latch reds positioned upon the outer face of the compressor bar and movable through the apertures of said straps, means for urging the latch rods outward, and keeper plates adapted to be secured to the inner walls of a trunk section and formed with apertures for engagement by said latch rods, the said straps being provide with stop pins adapted to engage with the surfaces of said keeper plates, and for the purpose set forth. v

3. In a trolley fixture of the character described, vertically swinging trolley arms, means for supporting said arms, a laterally extending compressor bar joined to the arms at one end of the latter, straps secured to and carried by the said ends of the trolley arms and projecting beyond the compressor bar, said straps being formed with apertures, latch rods positioned upon the outer face of the compressor bar and movable through the apertures of said straps, means for urging the latch rods outward, keeper plates adapted to be secured to the inner walls of a trunk section and formed with apertures for engagen'ient by said latch rods, the said straps being provided with stop pins adapted to engage with the surfaces of said keeper plates, and curved base members formed with longitudinal channels registering with the apertures of the keeper plates and upon which the latter are secured, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

THOIVIAS M. HOUSE. 

